London to Lagos Biker: Crossing the Sahara Desert was the most difficult part of my journey – Kunle Adeyanju narrates

On April 19th 2022, a Nigerian adventurer Kunle Adeyanju became an internet sensation after he embarked on a trip from London to Nigeria on his motorcycle. 39 days after going on his road biking adventure, Kunle Adeyanju eventually arrived Nigeria days ago much to the joy of many who had taken interest in his trip through his regular social media updates.

Speaking to BBC NEWS PIGDIN following his arrival, Kunle Adekunle took time to share some of the challenges he encountered and how he had prepared himself for the journey. He began by saying that crossing the Sahara Desert was the most difficult part of his trip. He said that it took him approximately six days to get past the desert and that it isn’t a place for any human to be as the heat, wind and sand wasn’t friendly and can kill anybody.

He said that before he embarked on the journey, he had done series of calculations and upon realizing that it was a 12,000 kilometers distance of which he had to cross 14 countries, he knew it wasn’t going to be an easy trip. Kunle said that the only thing that made him to successfully accomplish his road adventure was his proper preparation and planning. He revealed that it took him a year to prepare as he had to verify several police check points, hospital locations in the different countries he knew he would pass through.

He also went to learn some mechanical skills so that in the event where his bike or tyre developed fault, he could carry out repairs as nobody would probably be there to help him. According to his narrative, he never knew people loved Nigerians so much until he went on his journey as many flagged him down and asked to take photos with him. He said that at a point, he got tired of taking pictures due to the high demand, but nevertheless he couldn’t complain because it was part of the job he signed up for.

Kunle said that during his trip, several ladies showed affection towards him and would always want him to carry them which he did because he needed to raise money for Polio. He clearly stated that the women liked him more and not the other way round. He said that the story of the African people was what he enjoyed most about his journey as everything he read on papers that instilled fear in people about Africans was proven wrong, because the people he met were very friendly.

Kunle said that when he got to Nigeria, the reception he received from Nigerians blew his mind. He said the crowd and love was enormous as the people gave him a presidential welcome and it took the intervention of police and the military before he could get away.

He concluded by expressing thanks to all and sundry who had shown support to him throughout his London- Nigeria journey, while acknowledging the fact that God blessed him with the gift of exploring. He said that he wants people to remember him as someone who inspite of all the challenging odds never gave up on what he sat out to accomplish.